Bishop Kevin Kenney said suffering can be redemptive, and this perspective may be the best way to look at one’s own suffering.
During an interview with “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum in a program set to air at 9 p.m. Feb. 28 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Bishop Kenney explained, “Oftentimes in the midst of it (suffering), we don’t see it as very redemptive. We can see it as very punitive, as something that just happens. … It’s afterwards, when reflecting back upon the suffering that we encountered, is when it becomes redemptive in the midst of saying, ‘Oh, now I understand.’ Or I accepted whatever that suffering was, what can I take from that and learn from it?”
Bishop Kenney acknowledged that shifting perspectives on what it means to suffer is difficult, even going back centuries in the Old Testament in which it was believed that suffering was a result of wrongdoing. It’s human nature and the way we’re brought up that leads us to believe that suffering comes from doing something bad, Bishop Kenney said.
“Speaking from my own experience, there’s this tendency to kind of let suffering be a barrier between myself and God,” Bishop Kenney said. “Nobody enjoys suffering, but how can we lean into it and grow in closeness with God during that period?”
Bishop Kenney recommends offering up suffering for souls in purgatory, children who have left the Church, a change in the world or in our lives. In that way, Bishop Kenney said, the suffering then brings us closer to God by helping us understand what Jesus went through when he suffered for us. He also recommends finding a community.
“Community is very, very important, especially when one is suffering because we tend to want to go off by ourselves,” Bishop Kenney said. “But to be able to allow others to comfort us, to serve us, to help us, or to walk with us is very important during those times.”
During Lent, Bishop Kenney said, most of our suffering comes from what we give up.
“During Lent, we understand that the world itself is suffering in many different ways, and how do we look at the broader perspective?” Bishop Kenney said. “Be present, listening and being aware of what’s going on around us, in the communities that are around us, the people that are around us, the environment that’s around us. There’s a lot of suffering in many, many different ways. But Lent is the time to bring that to the Lord, to understand that Jesus is suffering. It wasn’t only just on the cross, but he could see the suffering in so many people, and his presence in their lives was really healing for them. His mercy and his forgiveness. Maybe our suffering is to go into a coffee shop, not take out your phone, have a cup of coffee and just be present to the people around you.”
To hear more from Bishop Kenney about bringing our suffering to God, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. March 1 and 2 p.m. March 2.
As part of the program, Brian Cox, a youth minister at St. Paul in Ham Lake, shares his transformation story and how his journey to faith shapes his ministry with young people. Also, WCCO reporter Katie Steiner talks about motherhood being a fulfilling full-time job.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
